Hurricane Helene's progress: More than 40 deaths and "historic and catastrophic" floods

Hurricane Helene left at least 44 people dead and caused major flooding across the southeast of the country, leaving millions of customers without electricity.

At least 20 people were killed in South Carolina, 15 in Georgia, seven in Florida, one in Virginia and one in North Carolina, according to the most recent totals from local authorities reported by  AFP.

Roads, homes and businesses were under water after Helene made landfall near Tallahassee, the Florida state capital, overnight and moved northward, although weakening to a tropical storm.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported "historic and catastrophic flooding" and warned of sudden high waters in Atlanta, Georgia's largest city, as well as in North and South Carolina.

Up to 30 centimeters of rain was forecast in the Appalachian mountains, with isolated places receiving even more.

From Florida to Georgia: The devastating passage of Hurricane 'Helene'

Perry, a town near the point where Helene made landfall as a powerful Category 4 hurricane, experienced winds of up to 140 mph. Homes were left without power and the gas station was completely wiped out.

In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis said the damage from Helene was worse than that of Hurricanes Idalia and Debby, which hit the same Big Bend region southeast of Tallahassee in the past 13 months. "It's a real blow to those communities."

At least 20 people died in South Carolina, including two firefighters, officials said.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp confirmed the deaths of 15 people in his state, including a first responder, and warned that the city of Valdosta had identified 115 badly damaged structures with several people trapped inside.

Florida's death toll is at seven. In Virginia, Gov. Glenn Youngkin confirmed one Helene-related death and in North Carolina another death was also confirmed, when a tree fell on a house, the fire department said.